Harry Potter and the Great Granger
by nr 25 peter
Summary: ADOPTED FROM PROUD MUBLOOD! After OotP, Harry feels responsible for all the bad things that happened at MoM. Only one person knows him well enough to know how much he hurts, but can even she help? Rated M for a very depressed Harry and violent Dursleys
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: I deserve it.

Harry wiped some sweat off his brow so he could see to continue weeding. His aunt, unfortunately for him, didn't approve, and smacked him, not lightly, on the head as she passed him towards the door.

"Stop being so lazy, you ungrateful freak," his Uncle Vernon said when he also walked past him.

Harry responded with a simple; "Yes, Uncle Vernon." Apparently, they were in a good mood, as they decided not to take that as cheek. The confrontation at the train station had made them angrier than usual this summer. Harry didn't care. As far as he was concerned, he deserved it for causing his godfather's death, Hermione's injuries, and all the rest of the injuries from the DA.

He was smacked by Petunia again, and he realized his thoughts had made him stop working. As this one was a longer pause than last time, Vernon felt the need to do something, as well. So he dragged Harry inside and whipped Harry with his belt. Harry took without any type of protest. He did continue weeding after Vernon was done though.

After that was done, he was told to make the Dursleys lunch, and then being sent up to his room while they ate. He didn't mind all that much, the pain from the hunger didn't faced him. Harry pulled a floorboard lose, the same as where he stashed food in the past to hide from the Dursleys, and picked up some of the broken pieces of glass from the mirror that Sirius had given him and rolled up his sleeves and see his old scars. He knew he needed to live to make the world safe from Voldemort, but he needed some way to relieve his emotional pain. Having grown up in the muggle world, he knew about cutting. He thought that it was only fitting that the thing he could have used to save Sirius was used to hurt him. After he had made a couple off new cuts, he then went and ran the fresh cuts under water. He had found out from the Dursleys a long time ago that fresh cuts with water can cause quite a bit of pain.

It had only been a week since he had come back from Hogwarts, but he had already amassed as many cuts on his arms as he had collected from the Dursleys in all his previous years. He was grateful that Hermione wasn't here; her reaction to his cuts would have been to cry, hug him, heal them, hug him again, then give him an hour long lecture about how he had friends now. At least, he was sure that would have been her reaction before. He figured that, after the incident in the ministry, she would be keeping her distance. He couldn't even open her letters; he didn't want to see the angry words he was so sure were written there.

A shout from his aunt to get downstairs made him jump while he was in the middle of what must have been his twentieth cut since he had visited the bathroom. It went deeper than usual, and for the first time, he actually had to fight a cry of pain. He rolled down his sleeves, some sick part of him enjoying the pain he received from them roughly chafing his cuts.

He was downstairs quickly and doing the dishes before his relatives could say anything. He had done this often enough that he knew what they wanted. What he hadn't considered was, that the deeper cut he had made, would mean more blood. It was dripping through the sleeves. Dudley was the only one to notice. This was surprising, as he was usually as observant as a deaf bat. He waited until Harry finished the dishes, then gleefully punched him the stomach.

"What do you think you're doin', freak?" He whispered in his ear. "How dare you make a mess!" This was accompanied by another punch. "Clean it up! And clean that shirt, too, you freak!" A final punch, then Dudley let Harry collapse to the floor. He then walked away laughing.

Harry picked himself up off the floor and began cleaning. Fortunately, he was a fast healer, so he had stopped bleeding by this time and wasn't making a mess while cleaning.

Meanwhile, at the Granger house, Hermione was gnawing a hole on her lower lip. Harry hadn't responded to any of her letters. It had only been a week, but she knew of Harry's turtle-like tendencies, and had tried to head them off by sending a letter every day. Unfortunately, there was still no response, and she was getting worried. He was living with those horrid relatives of his, and probably blaming himself for everything that had gone wrong at the Ministry. Her blood was boiling at just the thought of them. Gathering her courage, she went downstairs to talk to her parents.

"Mum, Dad," Hermione began, "you know about Harry, right?"

Dan and Emma Granger shared a glance; they had heard more about him than anyone or anything else at her school. They figured that, if they met him, they'd know exactly what he would do in given circumstances. Being loving parents, they also knew their daughter. They knew where this was going.

"Of course we can go visit Harry, Hermione," Emma said.

"Well, I'm kind of worried, and..wait…what?" Hermione stood for a second, stunned that they knew what she was going to ask. But she didn't bother questioning it, and gave a sigh of relief before running to her parents and treating them to her famous bone-crushing hugs. She immediately requested going to his house tomorrow, and treated them to more of her hugs when she received a yes. She immediately rushed up the stairs to plan tomorrow (it was Saturday), before turning around, going back down the stairs, saying an excited thank you, and rushing back up the stairs.

_Dream_

_Pointing to Harry, the ghostly form of Sirius said disgustedly, "I thought that Wormtail was the only fool who would get his friends hurt and killed."_

_Harry was sitting on the ground and couldn't move. The only thing he could do was beg for forgiveness. "I'm sorry, Sirius, I didn't mean to. Please, let me fix this," he pleaded with his nightmare._

"_Fix this?" Sirius sneered. "How do you plan on fixing death?"_

"_I don't know," Harry wailed, "I just wish I could."_

_Sirius shifted into Hermione, and she said, "Not this time, __Potter__," with such a sneer on the word Potter that Snape would have been envious. "I've followed you since first year, how could you do this to me?"_

_Harry was sobbing by this time, muttering, "I know, I'm sorry," over and over, unable to face the girl who had done so much for him, and who he had failed so miserably._

"_You should be sorry," she screeched. "And we thought you could be the one to teach us Defense," she sneered. "We won't be making the same mistake of trusting you again."_

_Harry could only think to himself that he already knew that, and that he deserved that and more. He didn't even realize that he was still muttering his mantra._

He woke up to his tear-soaked pillow covered in sweat and was shaking. He glanced at the clock, and found that he had been able to sleep for an hour. He snorted, a new record since the fiasco at the Ministry. Not wanting to face Sirius or Hermione again, he decided he would stay awake. He automatically rolled up his sleeves and reached for the broken pieces of glass he had put in his desk. He then spent the next seven hours finding new places to creatively torment himself. He stayed away from any place visible, such as his face or hands, but the glas went everywhere except for his package and rear end. He found out that the most painful place to cut was on his shins, but that he would bleed more if he cut his inner thighs or wrists.

At eight, he put the glass in his top drawer, knowing his uncle would probably be up soon. It didn't matter that it was Saturday; his uncle would make sure he worked. True to predictions, Harry heard his uncle's door open and the floor creak as he made his way to Harry's room. Harry decided to pretend to be asleep today, knowing that if his uncle believed he was asleep, he would punish him for being lazy.

Vernon pushed Harry's door open, turned the light on, and gasped in fury that the _freak_ was still sleeping. He went back to his room, grabbed a belt, marched back to Harry's room, and woke him with a whipping. Harry never screamed, or tried to avoid the whip. The part of his mind that thought he deserved it reveled in the treatment.

"Get your lazy ass up, freak!" Uncle Vernon said, trying not to shout; he didn't want to wake Petunia or Dudley. "I expect to see the kitchen cleaned before I come downstairs. I don't know why we took you in, you're so ungrateful!"

Harry merely said, "Yes, Uncle Vernon." Unfortunately, his uncle was not in a good mood today.

His face became purple, and he barely stopped himself from screaming the words, "I don't want any cheek from you, you insolent little freak!" as he put more into the whipping. Harry was amazed that the fat man was still going, but there was still the guilty part of his mind that reveled in the treatment.

As soon as Vernon finished the whipping, gasping for air, Harry went down the stairs and cleaned the little bit of the kitchen that wasn't already clean. After all, he'd had to clean it the night before. All he had to clean was the mess Dudley and Vernon had made when they had eaten their midnight snack that was the size of a large meal.

It didn't take long, since he'd done it most of his life. When Vernon came downstairs a few minutes later, he was disappointed that he couldn't find anything to complain about. So he had Harry clean the bathroom. When that was done to his satisfaction, he had him clean the living room.

He was quickly running out of things to do, when Petunia and Dudley woke up. It was 11 o'clock, surprisingly early for Dudley. Now he had to make breakfast. He made the eggs, bacon, and sausage perfectly, but he purposely burnt the last piece of toast so he would be punished. He expected to be sent to his room, where Vernon would whip him. And that was exactly what happened. At least, that was exactly what happened, until Vernon got tired. And since that Dudley always watched, Vernon decided Dudley needed to learn how to whip. Dudley, unfortunately, took a liking to it, and had much better stamina than his father. It took him nearly half an hour to tire of the whipping. The shirt Harry was wearing was basically tatters, but he had managed to not scream. Even when Dudley was frustrated that he Harry had kept silent, he decided he was going to slap the bloody marks he had made with the whip. Harry didn't scream. But he did pass out.

A few hours later, there was the sound of the doorbell ringing, the door opening, and a voice that cheerfully asked Vernon to see Harry Potter.

**A/N, I adopted this story from Proud Mudblood. I hope I can make you proud. I didn't do much about this chapter, just added some things here and there.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:Harmoney

_A few hours later, there was the sound of the doorbell ringing, the door opening, and a voice that cheerfully asked Vernon to see Harry Potter._

Harry didn't hear any of these things. He had recovered from his whipping about an hour ago, but was still in his room. After he felt strong enough, he had the glass to his wrist. He was just about to mark his flesh again when he heard footsteps running up the steps. He had already changed his shirt, so all he had to do was quickly hide the glass, and roll down his sleeves and getting ready for anything

Moments later, when the door opened, and Harry Potter saw Hermione Granger. He panicked. He was backing up, as far as possible from the person he was sure she hated him. Up until he was in the far corner on his bed. Since he wasn't waking up, he decided to help himself by slamming his head into the wall. "Wake up, damn it, wake up!" He muttered angrily to himself as he slammed his head into the wall over and over and over.

He heard the Hermione screech, "Harry!" and knew it wasn't working, so he tried harder. He also heard to new voices muttering in shock, things like "My God", and "The poor child", and "How does he live like this". But these didn't matter to him. The fact that Hermione was walking towards him however, did. He cowered down, into the corner of his bed, and childishly used his pillow as a shield. "Please," Harry sobbed, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean for you to get hurt! I'm so sorry!"

Earlier:

Hermione was so happy she was going to see her friend. She couldn't wait till she saw her Harry. 'Her Harry?' Hermione thoughts startled her for a moment. She almost never thought of Harry as her Harry. Well, she did when she saved him from a transformed Remus, when Harry was fighting for his life in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, or most of last year. With the Dementors, hearing, and that toad Umbridge. Okay, so she did think of him like that. It didn't mattered, what mattered is that she could get to Harry, drill into his skull that not everything was his fault and get him out of there. She was upset she had to see the Dursleys too though, Hermione hoped that they behaved at least a bit because her Parents were with her. Hermione sighed a bit and looked out the window, still excited that she was going to see her friend.

Emma Granger, sitting in front next to her husband who was driving, saw the different emotions on her face and heard the small sigh Hermione made. Emma was no fool, Hermione didn't just got her smarts from her farther after all, so she knew what happened on that school was more than Hermione told them. But she also knew that this Harry meant a lot for her daughter. And though Emma only met the boy once, he was very quiet but really polite, she had heard more about him from her daughter than the lad possible could tell himself. So she just smiled, hoped for the best and waited for the confrontation with the Dursleys.

When they got to his house, Hermione was glad her mother had decided to talk to Vernon, because she didn't think she could pretend the cheerfulness her mother had done when Petunia answered the door. So she slipped inside when the two mothers talked and went instantly upstairs. Excited to see Harry.

_Now_

However, any joy she had was gone, seeing Harry like this. His words broke her heart. She knew that he always blamed himself, that was what he always did, and she was pretty sure it was because of his horrible relatives, but this, this was heartbreaking. Hearing him plead like that had her feel tears in her eyes.

She decided to say something on a completely different topic, to reach out to him. "Why didn't you answer any of my letters?"

That seemed to get through to him. "L-letters?" He stuttered a little bit, his eyes sparked with a little life. "Hermione?" He asked quietly. "Is it really you? Am I really awake?"

"Yes, Harry, it's me, and you're really awake," she responded quietly. "Why didn't you answer any of my letters?" She had to struggle to keep her voice from breaking because off the sight that was her best friend. The boy who faced down and defeated Voldemort three times, was now so guilt-ridden, he was reduced to hiding behind a pillow.

He turned away from her. "I didn't want to see how much you hated me," he whispered. "I knew if I saw the words, it would be more real."

She wasn't sure whether she should be mad at him for blaming himself for everything, or cry that his relatives had done this to him. She decided on trying to simply remain calm. "Harry," she said softly, "will you please come off the bed and talk to me?"

She could see how terrified he was, as he moved slowly from the bed until he stood in front of her with his head down. She could hardly contain herself from hugging him. But she could see how jumpy he was, so she asked first. "Harry, is it alright if I hug you?" She heard what sounded like a couple of sobs, and Hermione thought she saw a few drops of moisture fall from his face. In the dark room, it was hard to tell. Finally, he nodded.

She went over to him slowly, before taking him gently into her arms. She gently rubbed his back, and felt him wince. She stopped immediately. "Harry," she said suspiciously, "what happened to your back?"

Harry couldn't believe that Hermione wasn't mad at him. She even hugged him. Then he had screwed it all by wincing. He couldn't tell her what happened. She would get upset with his relatives, then he would have to explain that he did it on purpose, she would get mad and disappointed in him and he would lose her friendship for real this time.

So he hoped to head it off and simply said, "Nothing." He should have known better, Hermione _is _the smartest witch of the century.

"Then take off your shirt and let me see," she challenged him. Not believing him for an instance.

_Damn!_ He thought. He knew he had to make up a lie now. "Really, it's nothing, I just fell on my back and scraped it a little."

"I still want to see it," she said. She turned to her parent who were still standing in the doorway. "Mum, will you please turn on the light?" When her mum helpfully switched the light on, all three Grangers gasped. Harry reminded Hermione of Sirius when he escaped from Azkaban. His cheeks were sunk in, his eyes bloodshot, the massive bags under his eyes, and everything about him screamed bony. If she hadn't been talking to him, she'd think he was a dead corpse. After a moment of silence, Dan said, "I'll be right back, there are some people downstairs on Death's guest list."

"No!" Harry shouted. "Please, I don't want any trouble."

Although Hermione was more than willing to help her father, she knew Harry would be upset, so she looked at her father, and subtlety, shook her head, despite the rage she was feeling. Turning back to Harry, she said, "Please take off your shirt and turn around." When he still hesitated, she added, "For me."

Still hesitant, but slowly, he nodded, and took his shirt off, slowly turning as he did so. Nothing could prepare the Grangers for the sight of Harry's back. They just stared in horror at it for a moment as Harry's shirt dropped to the floor. The adult Grangers abruptly turned from his room, and began to head down the stairs purposefully.

Harry couldn't let the Grangers do this, not when he'd provoked the Dursleys into doing it in the first place. He turned around towards them, freeing himself from Hermione's arms while throwing his arms out and shouting, "No, stop!"

The adult Grangers weren't prepared to listen to him, they, however and only, turned back when Hermione made a noise sounding much like strangled sob. She had seen the bruises on his stomach first, but then she saw the cuts that went up and down his wrists. She had grabbed his arms, turning the wrists up to look at them. That was when she had made the strangled sob her parents had heard. The fact that some of them were still bleeding wasn't lost on any of the Grangers.

Harry looked away from them, ashamed, and said, "I can't let you punish them. I purposely provoked them into doing it, knowing what would happen." Despite feeling his shame, he didn't try to pull away from Hermione's grasp.

Hermione made the strangled sob sound again. She wasn't sure her heart could take this for much longer. It was like seeing the little damaged boy Harry from first year again, but much, much worse. "But why?" She asked aloud, "Why, Harry?"

His answer broke her heart again. "I deserved it." She wanted to hug him again, and she wouldn't let him go this time. But she remembered his back. Before she could respond to that statement, Harry followed up his answer with, "Besides, it helped me deal with everything." Hermione was shocked to say the least.

"Harry, why couldn't you talk to me instead?" Hermione asked, still desperately trying to hold it together. Still refusing to look at any of them, he whispered, "I thought you hated me." It didn't matter that he whispered, Hermione still heard the pain in his voice.

"Harry," Hermione whispered back, "please look at me." He turned to her, and when his eyes met hers, she gasped at the raw pain she saw in them. Most people who had been through to anything similar as much to what Harry had, learned to hide what they felt, but Harry always wore his heart on his sleeve. Hermione let go of his arms, and held his face between her hands, preparing to do what she should have done a long time ago.

Harry turned to look at her, and he was surprised by the tears he saw in her eyes. When she took his face between her hands, he was even more surprised that she would want to be in the room with someone who had done to themselves what he had.

But Hermione wasn't done with surprises yet. She whispered to him, "I have never, will never, and don't ever could hate you." He was about to protest, but he suddenly found her lips on his. Any thoughts of protest at that point left his head. She pulled back after a second with a shy smile, but he pulled her back for more! She had enough time for a surprised gasp before melting into Harry's arms. While the last kiss was fleeting and soft, were this one was needy and passionate.

At least, it was, until they heard a "hmm hmm" that was reminiscent of Umbridge. They pulled apart blushing, having forgotten Hermione's parents. Harry shot a sheepish glance their way. He was surprised to see that both of her parents were smiling.

"Well, Hermione, it took you long enough," Emma teased her daughter.

"You mean you're not upset with me?" Harry asked, completely surprised.

Dan , and said, "Harry, if we had to hear Hermione say one more thing about you, we would have stuffed our ears with cotton. My wife here, found her journal once. We didn't read it, of course, but we did see that the front said 'Hermione Potter'!"

Both Harry as Hermione blushed, and they both looked down. This, of course, made the adults laugh that much harder.

Just then, Vernon decided to yell up, "Hey, freak, you still need to clean up breakfast!"

The faces of the three Granger's quickly lost their cheerful nature, becoming exceedingly angry at the slavery of Harry and the obvious fact that he'd barely eaten since he got here, judging from the fact that they could definitely count his ribs and they were fairly certain that they could see his organs through the skin of his stomach.

Dan decided Harry should not have to put up with this and yelled back, "Hey, asshole, clean up your own damn mess!" There was a moment of dead silence downstairs, and Hermione could see that Harry's eyes had become extremely fearful. She suddenly remembered the marks on his back, and could understand why.

Sound suddenly returned to number four Privet Drive, and Vernon came to the bottom of the stairs with a purple face, and shouted up at the male Granger, "Who the fuck do you think you are, telling me what to do in my own house!"

Harry was shaking with fear; there was nothing they could do to the Dursleys, Harry needed them so he could be safe from Voldemort, plus, he was at their mercy for at least a few more weeks, since that was how long he had to be there.

Dan, however, was of course not aware of this. He wás aware that the fat man with the purple face had tortured a child, and he couldn't stand child abuse. There was no way in hell he was letting this go. "I think I'm Dan Granger, and as far as I'm concerned, you deserve a lot more than being told what to do! I would love to beat the shit out of you right now for what you did to that defenseless boy! Unfortunately, that same boy requested I don't. If not for him, I would have bloody beaten you already! So don't push me if you don't want to see the gates of Hell early!"

Hermione and Emma Granger were staring at Dan, impressed with his dressing down of the abusive bastard. "Go Dad!" Hermione cheered. Dan glanced at her with a hint of amusement, then he saw Harry shaking. Frowning, he started to move towards him.

Vernon, unfortunately, didn't seem to get that he had lost the argument. The momentary shock he received had worn off, and he was shouting back, "That's not a boy, it's a freak! Now get out of my bloody house before I call the police!"

Dan, of course, had no worries about that. "Ha! Go ahead and call the police," he retorted, "try and explain Harry's back to them!" He waited until he saw Vernon's face pale with understanding before turning away this time.

His wife had moved into the room with Harry and Hermione, and the two women were sitting on the bed with Harry between them as they comforted him. Dan saw that he was still shaking. He joined the rest of his family in the room with a frown. He thought he understood why Harry was scared, and said, "Son, don't worry, you can come with us. You don't have to worry about repercussions from them." To his utter shock, Harry broke down.

Hermione was not having the day she had hoped for. She thought she would be able relax with her friend today, but instead she had seen him cry twice today! The only other time she could recall seeing Harry cry was at the end of the third task while holding Cedric's body.

What she couldn't understand was why he was crying this time. The previous time was because he was afraid of losing Hermione, but what was it this time? She was so grateful for her dad for offering to take Harry in. So why was Harry crying?

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked. "Why are you crying? Don't you want to live with us?" She struggled to keep the hurt out of her voice-and failed miserably.

"It's not that I don't want to live with you guys," Harry said between sobs, "I would love to! You guys are great! But I can't. Dumbledore finally told me why he brought me to the Dursleys. The Prophesy was about me and Voldemort." Hermione listened with horror as he explained the prophecy and the blood wards.

"My God," Emma murmured, "I'm so sorry Harry."

Harry shook his head angrily. "I don't want your pity," he growled. Then he realized he had snapped, burst into tears again, and said, "I'm sorry I snapped." Though this was muffled by his hands holding his face, they knew what he said.

Hermione was thinking. She had finally kissed Harry! But now, because she had come here, his relatives were more of a danger to him than ever. How could she keep him safe? She had an idea, and stood up quickly.

Harry unfortunately took this the wrong way, thinking Hermione was distancing herself from him. Hermione heard his gasp, and whirled to him, saying soothingly, "Relax, Harry, I just want to talk to my dad for a moment." She waited until he acknowledged her, then turned back to her father, gesturing to the now open hallway.

They closed the door behind them, and Dan knew exactly what his daughter was thinking. "Absolutely not," he said.

"Dad, you don't even know what I'm going to say!" Hermione complained.

"You're going to say that you think you should stay her to protect Harry," he said. She seemed surprised he got it right. "If you think I'm going to let you stay at your boyfriend's house with his abusive family, you have another thing coming. I'm not letting my daughter into danger if I can help it."

Hermione hugged her father for his protectiveness. However, she wasn't done yet. "Dad, what would you do if you were in my place and Mum was in Harry's?"

She heard her father sigh. He should have known she wouldn't give up without a fight. "I would do exactly what you're trying to do, young lady. And it wouldn't have worked for me, either."

Well, if he wasn't giving up, she had to fight dirty. She whispered to her father, "Dad, how can you expect me to leave him to those pieces of filth? Especially knowing that we made it worse by coming here?"

"I-I d-don't see h-how that h-has anything to d-do with it," her father stuttered.

Hermione smiled. She had him now. "But Daddy," she said, "with me here, I can threaten them with you if they do anything to me or Harry. And Harry's too honorable to do anything with me. If anything, _I_ would have to force _him_, and I'm not ready for that."

Dan was in a bind. He knew he had made Harry's situation worse, but had the potential to make it better. The problem was, though not only sleeping at the house with her boyfriend, but the abusing family possibly could put his daughter at risk. She had defused that possibility, and Death Eaters couldn't get here either. If Harry's explanation was true. In some ways, she was actually safer. And though he still didn't really liked it to let her sleep alone with her boyfriend, he was going to let his daughter stay. He sighed. "Alright. Fine," he said, disgruntled.

Hermione squealed excitedly, and bounced into Harry's room to tell him. But she should have guessed his response…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Company

_Hermione squealed excitedly, and bounced into Harry's room to tell him. But she should have guessed his response…_

"No WAY!"

Harry was not pleased to hear Hermione's plan at all. He was scared enough about what the Dursleys were going to do to him already, he wasn't letting them anywhere near Hermione.

"You don't want me?" She asked.

Harry sighed. "Of course I want you, but-"

Hermione cut him off, saying, "Good, because I'm staying."

In a final attempt to get her to listen to reason, he asked, "But where will you sleep?"

She said, "In your bed, of course!" There was no way her parents ,or Harry for that matter, were letting that happen! They all tried to give their reasons for why that was such a bad idea, and for a few moments, she let them. Then she raised her hand, and said, "And you can sleep on the floor, like a gentleman."

Stymied for a moment, Harry pondered how he could stop her. Then he realized she wouldn't want him in pain, and asked, "What about my back?"

The faces of the Grangers clouded at the reminder, and Hermione knew she wasn't letting Harry sleep on the floor with his back as mangled as it was. "Alright, I'll sleep on the floor, and you sleep on the bed." she suggested.

"Not a chance!" Harry said. "Knowing my uncle, he'd come barging in and step on you!"

"Fine, I'll sleep on the couch!" Hermione was too determined, they weren't going to stop her. "You said you only had to stay for another two weeks to strengthen the wards, anyway."

"I accept defeat," sighed Harry.

Dan laughed, saying, "You'll make a great husband someday, if you keep that up, Harry!"

The women glared at him, while Harry thought about what having Hermione at the Dursleys would be like. He just couldn't imagine it. They were so evil, and she was so nice. How did he get her into this?

While Hermione and her parents were discussing how to get Hermione's clothes to the Dursleys, Harry was once more contemplating how he managed to get people into dangerous situations.

Hermione was busily discussing getting her clothes to the Dursleys when she glanced at Harry. One look at his face and his eyes, and she knew what he was thinking. Momentarily forgetting the bruises and how skinny he was, she smacked him in the stomach.

At his wince, her eyes widened at what she had done. "I'm so sorry Harry, I forgot! I just don't want you to think that you're putting me in danger."

He responded, "Don't worry about it, I've had worse. _And_ I am dragging you into a dangerous situation."

Hermione felt an incredible rage towards the Dursleys for their actions towards that could make him say so casually that he had had worse. For now, she would let it go. But, she still pointed out, "Harry, you're not dragging me into danger, I'm dragging you out of it at minimal chance of danger to me."

Harry snorted. "How do you figure it's 'minimal danger' to you?" He asked.

"Well, if you had let me explain earlier, if your _relatives_," she spat the word, "try anything, I threaten them with a call to Dad here, who will then call the police."

"But you can't, I have to stay with them." Harry said fearfully, almost in tears at the thought that he had to stay with them.

Hermione went to him and hugged him. "Relax, Harry." she said, "They don't know that. Besides, you only have to stay with your aunt. So if we call the police on your uncle, and say your aunt had nothing to do with it, then he gets thrown in jail, and we can hold that sword over your aunt."

"I'm so glad I'm dating the smartest witch ever," Harry said happily with a sigh, before giving her a kiss.

"Dad, can I please have your cell phone?" Hermione asked her father after they broke off the kiss.

"Why?" He asked suspiciously.

"So that I can make sure to call you if the bastards downstairs try to keep me from the phone." Hermione responded vehemently. They were all shocked to hear her language, but given the subject, her parents were more than willing to let it go.

Dan nodded. "Here you go, honey" her father said, handing her the phone. "I'll make sure to bring you your own tomorrow with your clothes."

He still couldn't believe it. Had anyone told him even an hour ago that he would let his daughter stay with her boyfriend and his extremely abusive relatives, he would have laughed in their face and called the mental hospital. He sighed again.

Hermione watched her parents carefully to see how they were about her staying with Harry. She had been surprised when her mother hadn't objected, but then realized just how alike they were. She hoped that her dad would get over whatever he was troubling about.

When she heard her father sigh, again, she watched him even more closely, making sure he wasn't going to change his mind. She was a little puzzled when she saw a sadistic looking smile grow on her father's face. "Dad..?" She asked cautiously.

Dan realized how the expression on his face must look like, and was surprised to realize he didn't care how violent he must have looked right now. "I'm alright, honey, I just can't wait to threaten that pompous ass!" He responded to his daughter.

Hermione couldn't help the giggle caused by her father's words. She just wished she could use magic on those horrible people!

Hermione stopped giggling when she saw the look on Harry's face; it looked like envy and sadness.

Harry watched Hermione's easy interactions with her parents, and couldn't help the feelings that came over him. The strongest was envy that she had parents when he didn't, but he tried to push that down. Then there was the sadness about the loss of his parents. And finally, the emotion that Hermione couldn't see, joy; he was glad that she had such a loving family that had turned her into the wonderful, beautiful women he saw before him today. To a lesser extent, there was also the joy that they seemed to accept him and want to defend him.

He didn't have much time to analyze these feelings, though, because as soon as he felt them, his beautiful girlfriend had wrapped her arms around him. He didn't even notice the pain in his back. After living with the Dursleys combined with his guilt about the events at the Ministry, Harry had truly believed what they said about no one ever wanting him. He couldn't help the joy that flowed through him with the knowledge that there was a person who actually knew him, and wanted him anyway! He clutched at her, returning her hug with enthusiasm.

Once again, the Umbridge impersonation interrupted them, though this time it was from Hermione's father, rather than her mum. They broke apart after a few moments, and looked at Dan with a little blush coloring both of their cheeks. Harry was surprised to see a gentle smile on the face of Hermione's father. Wasn't he supposed to try and chase Harry away?

Once more, tears sprang to his eyes, and he hastily looked away, wiping at his eyes with his sleeves. "It's dusty in here," Harry lied, fooling no one. The hearts of all three Grangers broke at the young man's reaction to care.

Dan cleared his throat again, and said, "Let's go face the Dursleys." No one could miss the edge to his voice or the wicked gleam in his eyes. Even Harry, brought up as he was, noticed it. None of them could deny wanting to hurt the Dursleys, though Harry would have been shocked had he been able to recognize the true depth of protection the Grangers felt for him.

Harry tried to go first, just in case the Dursleys were enraged enough to attack, but Dan forcefully told him he was going second. He had endured enough, and Dan was sure that even someone who had less common sense than an amoeba wouldn't attack him. Harry was going to try and insist, but saw the determination in Dan's eyes and acquiesced.

They went downstairs with Dan in front and Emma bringing up the end. Hermione was behind Harry, clutching at his arm nervously. She didn't realize she was chafing the cuts on his arms, and he didn't say anything; he needed the affection too much.

Dan was the spearhead of the assault while walking into the living room where all the Durleys sat, and went straight for Vernon. "Alright you overstuffed walrus," he began angrily, ignoring the snorts of laughter behind him, "it's time to set things straight.

"First off, I absolutely _hate_ child abuse! I would love nothing more than to beat you into a tiny pulp, then call the police. Unfortunately, your nephew here made me promise I wouldn't do that. I agreed. For now. Unfortunately for you, my daughter was not willing to leave your nephew here alone to face your wrath. The obvious answer was to simply take Harry and leave-"

At this point, Vernon made a mistake. He interrupted Dan. "Please, take the little freak, it's a useless sack-" a fist backed by a furious Dan Granger ended whatever he was about to say.

"Never. Interrupt. Me. Again," the furious man said to the mass of jelly that was Vernon Dursley.

"As I was saying, the obvious answer was to simply take Harry and leave, but for some unfathomable reason, he insisted on staying for at least another two weeks. I don't understand it, but Hermione seems to, and she insists on not leaving him alone. So she's staying here to keep an eye on you, your wife, and your son. If you do anything to harm either of them, she'll call me up, and I'll call the police. Even without the evidence on Harry's back, I have a few strings I could pull that would have you lost in the system for at least a week."

By this point, Vernon's had turned pale, as had his wife and Dudley. They all knew what would happen if the police were called. Dan was not at all disappointed by the effect he was having on them. "Now that I have your undivided attention," Dan continued sarcastically, "I'll set a few ground rules.

"As I said before, I _hate_ child abuse! No more of it! If my daughter tells me of one more mark on Harry, you'll be lucky if I call the police.

"Second, teaching a child responsibility is one thing, but making them your slave disgusts me. Harry will not be cooking, cleaning, or doing any other chores for you for the next two weeks.

"Finally, you _will_ feed him and Hermione a proper meal. If I hear anything about the fact that Harry is starving again, I'll shove you all into the broom cupboard Hermione tells me you used to keep Harry in!" Here paused Dan, waiting for some kind of reaction. But the Dursleys were just sitting there. "DO. I. MAKE. MYSELF. CLEAR?" Dan thundered. None of the Dursleys were capable of coherency at this point, and simply nodded.

Emma was just staring at Dan, her love and pride for him showing very clearly. Harry and Hermione were also staring at him; Hermione loved him intensely for standing up for her boyfriend, and Harry seemed to have a case of slight hero worship. The only people he had seen who stood up to the Dursleys all had magic, the fact that someone without magic was doing it, and causing them to cower in a corner, was absolutely amazing to Harry. It elevated Dan above the status of mere mortals for him.

While the Dursleys stayed huddled in their corner, the Grangers and Harry went to the door for their goodbye. He was pleasantly surprised when both of the adult Grangers gave him hugs goodbye, though he couldn't contain the winces.

Hermione let Harry say goodbye to her parents first because she knew her goodbye would take longer. She _was_ the brightest witch of her age after all! When her father whispered to her to do everything she could to make Harry's relatives lives a waking nightmare, she giggled and whispered back that she was already planning it. Her mother just told her to keep safe, and that Harry was a keeper. Hermione blushed a little bit, and said that she already knew that.

After her parents drove away, Hermione dragged her willing victim into the kitchen, shooting a glare at the Dursleys that was so filled with loathing, contempt, and hatred, that they decided they would just stay in the corner for a little longer. "Come on, Harry, you need food!" Hermione said to him. Harry just smiled and followed. Soon, they were heading up to his room with a plate of sandwiches that would feed a good portion of Africa. Or Dudley.

But Harry couldn't even eat one, he hadn't eaten in two days, and eating at all made him nauseous after that long. Hermione simply put the sandwiches into a bag she had made at Hogwarts that would keep them from spoiling. Harry just smiled at her forethought. Who else would think to do that but the brightest witch?

Hermione struggled to contain herself. She knew that living with the Dursleys wasn't easy for Harry, and she also knew that he needed to talk to bleed the poison out. Harry was stubborn, though, and she knew it wouldn't be that easy to get him to talk. She decided she would start tomorrow, after her parents brought her, her clothes.

They stayed up talking for a while, waiting until they knew the Dursleys were asleep before Hermione went to lie on the couch, and Harry went to his bed, feeling guilty that Hermione was on the couch, of course.

Before she left his room, she kissed him softly, whispered, "Goodnight, Harry," and tucked him in. She knew he'd never had anyone do this for him before, and decided it was the least she could do for her abused boyfriend. _Tomorrow,_ she thought, _we'll talk._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Before she left his room, she kissed him softly, whispered, "Goodnight, Harry," and tucked him in. She knew he'd never had anyone do this for him before, and decided it was the least she could do for her abused boyfriend. __Tomorrow__, she thought, __we'll talk._

"_Harry, how could you?" Sirius wailed at him. "I haven't even been dead a month! Is it so much to ask that you mourn me a little bit?"_

"_I'm sorry Sirius," Harry was wailing, "I'm so sorry! I'm not trying to forget you! I swear!"_

"_Right," Sirius sneered, "that explains your girlfriend!"_

_Harry had no defense against this, and just curled up and sobbed as Sirius threw angry insult after angry insult. _

_"Wake up, Harry!" Sirius said. But the voice was different. It was pleading with him. "Wake up!"_

Harry woke with a start to see Hermione's tearful face hovering above him. Seeing he was awake, she instantly began to try and comfort him. "Everything's okay, Harry, it was just a nightmare," she said soothingly to him. Harry just continued to sob and let him be comforted. Eventually exhausted, he fell asleep in her arms.

Hermione looked down at Harry, and sighed. She hated to see him like this. At the same time, his caring nature was what she loved about him. She just wished those bloody relatives of his could give a damn about him! Harry was strong, he didn't need much. One caring word from them, and he would have happily done anything they wanted.

She looked down at Harry, and smiled. He looked so peaceful now. She hoped he would stay that way. She gently pulled away from him, and went back downstairs. She hoped that knowing Harry was resting peacefully at last would allow her to sleep. It wasn't long before she was asleep with a smile.

A few hours later, she bolted upright at the sound of a scream she recognized as Harry's. She'd heard it often enough through the years. She was up the stairs so quickly that she would have thought she had apparated if she hadn't known better. The sight before her enraged her, Dudley was holding a studded belt, tearing Harry's back apart with it!

Her scream of rage froze Dudley as he pulled back for another swing. She could see from the marks on Harry's back that he'd swung a lot more than just once. Besides that, she knew that Harry could take the Cruciatus without screaming, so it would take a lot more than the single swing of even a studded belt for him to scream.

If Hermione could have seen herself at that moment, she might have been shocked out of her rage. As it was, she unconsciously gathered her magic from het core to her whole body as she took a step towards Dudley. Even Harry's muggle cousin could feel the magic crackling. And he didn't like it.

Hermione couldn't take her eyes off of Harry's back, there was blood everywhere, it was so bloody! Dudley stupidly decided to try and take advantage of her distraction and tried to knock her out. But Hermione was having none of it. She may not know at the time what she was doing, but later she would realize that she had used her magic to heighten her reflexes and to increase her strength. Dudley didn't even have the benefit of being angry to lessen the pain. All he knew was that his fist had been flying towards the girl's head, then it was caught in her hand. Her hand couldn't even cover his, but that didn't stop her from crushing all of the bones in it. His scream made Hermione smile a wicked smile.

It wasn't until Harry screamed her name, for the third time, that she recalled her surroundings. She saw that Harry was trying to get up, and released Dudley's hand, or whatever was left, to help him. "Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Don't worry about me," Hermione cried, "what about you?"

"I'll be fine in a little while," Harry said. When he saw her doubtful look, he didn't consider how she would react when he said; "I always have been." He probably would have kept that part to himself had he considered her reaction.

Dudley was still crying on the ground holding his now ruined hand when Hermione heard Harry's last sentence. With a scream of rage she turned, and still having unconsciously strengthened herself with magic, kicked him through the doorway and into the hallway. She was _very_ pleased at the sound of cracking ribs.

"Hermione," Harry gasped, "Please stop. He gets the message."

Hermione whirled back around to face him. "He should have gotten it the first time!" She shouted with a mix of anger and despair. Unable to take the strain of not only what happened but also gathering her magic like that for just a few short minutes, she collapsed, tired but not asleep, while sobbing, into Harry's arms.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder why the house was shaking.

Harry had been able to get himself into a sitting position by this point, and was making gently soothing sounds. "It will be okay Hermione. I'm right here. I won't leave you. Please stop shaking, love, you're scaring me."

_Oh,_ Hermione thought to herself. _Of course the house isn't shaking. I am._ Using logic helped her to calm down. Soon, she had stopped shaking or crying. She looked up at Harry to thank him, but realized his eyes were closed. He was swaying and it seems barely conscious.

Despite what he had said earlier, he had rarely been beaten _this_ badly. After all, it was the first time since the start of Hogwarts that they had gotten him to scream. Also, sitting up made him lose the blood that much faster than just lying down.

What Hermione most wanted to do at the moment was freak out. However, she knew she couldn't. She was the only one that could help Harry right now. She had to think quickly. _Come on, Granger, think! What can you do to help!_ It didn't take her long to think of the blood loss. She had to stop or at least stem the bleeding.

She leaped out of his arms to take action. She pulled him off the bed, and put him face down on the ground. She found the shredded shirt he had been beaten in yesterday still on the floor and put it on the wound while applying pressure. She had to struggle to control herself when she saw the bloody puddle on his bed. Harry needed her to be in control of her emotions right now.

Just then, the doorbell rang. _Who is at the door at this hour?_ Hermione thought to herself, exasperated while looking at the clock. It read 7:30. The obvious answer came to her in seconds. Her parents were here! They may not have been M.D.s, but they dealt with blood often enough as dentists. Though Harry couldn't hear her for being passed out, it made Hermione feel better to whisper a quick apology to him for leaving. She then raced down the stairs and flung open the door.

She didn't say hello to her parents, there wasn't time for pleasantries. "Mum, Dad, please help Harry!" she pleaded, unaware at the moment of the tears flowing down her face. Not trusting herself to explain the situation, she grabbed her parent's hands and pulled them up the stairs. When they reached Harry's room, Hermione released their hands, and went to the form on the floor. She removed the shirt from Harry's back so her parents could see, and was whispering through her tears to a still unconscious Harry. "Harry, you're going to be alright. Mum and Dad are here, and I know they can fix you. I know they can."

Meanwhile, Dan and Emma took in the damage to the young man's back. No amount of professionalism could keep them from holding in their shock that someone could do such damage to a child. They steeled themselves, glanced at each other, and nodded.

"Hermione," Emma interrupted her daughter's whispers, "please go find us some alcohol and a cloth and bring them back to us. When you come back, I'll have more for you to do."

Hermione leaped up and ran from the room, glad someone else was taking charge. It wasn't hard to find the alcohol, no one had bothered to hide it, and there were cloths for cleaning all around. Hermione spitefully took the nicest one she saw before running up the stairs.

"I've got the stuff, Mum," Hermione said as she burst into the room. Emma glanced up at her, then shifted her gaze to the bottle and cloth. She took them both, and Hermione heard her say something about the alcohol _'being strong enough'_.

Emma passed the items to her husband before turning back to Hermione, she said calmly: "Hermione, in the living room I think I saw a sewing kit. Could you please grab it and bring it up here?"

Hermione struggled not to think of what the whole stuff were meant for as she flew down the stairs, spotted the sewing kit, grabbed it, and flew back up the stairs. Emma took the kit from her and said, "Hermione, we need another cloth. Could you please-" Emma stopped as Hermione had already turned around. Emma had known that another cloth was going to be needed, but she needed to keep Hermione busy and burn off her nervous energy. When Hermione returned with another cloth, she handed it over to her mother, who soaked it in the alcohol, and wiped it down Harry's back. The blood flow was slowing, which could have either been good or bad at this point.

Hermione couldn't keep her mind off this last fact, so she was grateful when her mother asked her to go downstairs for three final items. The first two weren't bad. Being a water bottle and a third cloth. It was the third item that had her worried though. A lighter. She struggled not to think about it, but it was impossible for Hermione to not think. And right at this moment, she was thinking cauterization.

Once Hermione was back upstairs, Emma once again took the items from her. They rinsed Harry's back off with the water, and examined it. They focused on the new marks. They then checked Harry's pulse to make sure he would be able to take the shock. They were surprised to found his pulse to be surprisingly strong.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Dan dipped the thread into the alcohol and brushed it against the cuts from today. His hands were shaking, and he was tempted to pass this task to Emma. But he knew her hands would be worse, so he steeled himself until the wounds were all sealed.

He then picked the lighter up off the floor, and told his daughter to go downstairs. She refused. He looked her in the eye, testing her resolve. She wasn't ready for this, nobody was, really. But there was no way she was leaving either. He sighed, and lit the back of one of the bravest young men he had ever met, on fire, grateful that the young man was unconscious at the moment.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the Grangers. They gagged at the smell of cooked meat. It wasn't helped by the sizzling sound. And even unconscious, Harry was twitching at the assault on his back.

Across the hall, Dudley had regained consciousness and decided it would be a good idea for him to go quietly to his room. None of the Granger's noticed nor cared when his door closed. But they all noticed when the adult Dursleys came out, though. It was mostly because off Vernon when he had decided to make a comment to show his intelligence.

"I don't usually go for pork in the morning," he said obliviously, "but that smells delicious!"

Dan _was not_ in a good mood. And it was never a good idea to piss off someone who used to be in SAS. Normally, Dan had a very easygoing temper. But after seeing the one man he more or less approved off for his daughter in the state he was and then being forced to cauterize him, Dan wanted someone to hurt. Vernon Dursley had made the very unwise decision of making sure he was going to feel the pain. Dan of course was also unaware that Dudley had been the one to whip Harry and was under the impression it was Vernon.

"You _bloody whale!_" He screamed at Vernon. "That's you're _fucking nephew!_ I was forced to _cauterize_ almost his _entire back_ after what you did to it!" His fist was raised to tear him a new one, when Hermione told him that it was, in fact, Dudley, who had done this to Harry.

His fist still raised, Dan demanded, "And where the fuck were _you_ while your son tortured you nephew?" Vernon may not have been the one to raise his hand against Harry this time, but he was the one who taught Dudley it was normal behavior.

"S-sleeping." Vernon stuttered terrified.

Dan almost hit the roof. "_**WHAT?**_"

"I-I took a pill to h-help me s-sleep," Vernon managed to stutter out. "P-Petunia t-took t-two."

Unfortunately for Vernon, Dan's patience had run out. He was tired of excuses. He hadn't fought in a long time, but he still packed a powerful punch. Vernon collapsed in almost the same spot his son had earlier. "Now it's his son's turn," Dan vowed darkly, after checking that the fire had gone out on Harry's back as it should have.

But Harry, with his usual tendency to save people, chose that moment to wake up.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Unfortunately for Vernon, Dan's patience had run out. He was tired of excuses. He hadn't fought in a long time, but he still packed a powerful punch. Vernon collapsed in almost the same spot his son had earlier. "Now it's his son's turn," Dan vowed darkly, after checking that the fire had gone out on Harry's back as it should have._

_Harry, with his usual tendency to save people, chose that moment to wake up._

Hermione, of course, was the first one to get to him, followed closely by Emma and, reluctantly, by Dan, who still felt Dudley deserved a good beating. He didn't know that Hermione had already done that for him.

"Harry?" Hermione whispered to him desperately. "Are you okay?"

Harry, as usual, replied, "I'm fine, 'Mione. What about you? The last thing I remember was holding you while you cried."

Dan and Emma looked at Hermione. They hadn't heard that part. It was at that point that Harry noticed them. Still a little numb on pain, he said, "Oh, hello Mr. and Mrs. Granger. When did you get here?" He tried to get up to greet them. And fell back down. "Sorry I can't greet you, there seems to be something wrong with my back." He frowned at this, as though it had disappointed him.

Unnoticed to him, both Hermione and Emma were crying at this point. Even Dan was struggling with the urge to cry. He had been whipped with a studded leather belt to within an inch of his life, and disappointed he couldn't get up. What was wrong with people who could make him think like that?

After a moment of silence, Dan cleared his throat, saying roughly, "It's alright Harry, you don't need to get up. Just rest for a while."

Harry frowned, protesting, "I need to greet my girlfriend's parents. It's respectful. I just can't seem to get up."

The way Harry seemed unable to process reality gave Hermione one of the least pleasant thoughts she could ever remember having. _What if the pain drove him insane? He was so frail, it wouldn't take as much…._

Hermione couldn't take that thought, and fled from the room. "Hermione?" Harry called. There was no answer. In an instant Harry's thoughts crystallized. He knew what happened with Dudley. There was no way he was losing Hermione over this. He stood up.

The two adults cried out in alarm, saying he must rest. After swaying for a moment, he shook his head, saying, "With all due respect, I refuse to not at least try and go after Hermione. She's too important to me for that. I can rest when I'm dead."

Dan didn't think his daughter could have picked a better man. He reached out and shook Harry's hand. "Harry," he said, "it will be a pleasure to have you as a son-in-law one day."

Emma couldn't agree more, and gave Harry her arm support, with the simple persuasion, "If you insist on going after me daughter, I insist on helping you." Although Harry would never admit it, he was grateful for the support.

It took him a few minutes to get down the stairs-even with the help of the people he knew would one day be his in-laws. He was surprised that they had accepted him so fast, but he would ask Hermione about it later. But right now, he could hear her crying, and comforting her came first.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Harry asked quietly once he made it to the couch.

Hermione jumped at the sound of his voice. She was shocked for a moment that he was standing. It took her a moment longer than usual to start reprimanding him. "Harry, you should be resting…."

Harry started to chuckle, and released Emma's arm. Hermione moved towards him to keep him from falling. It was exactly what he wanted. He grabbed her in a surprisingly enthusiastic hug, considering the state of his back. "I'm glad things are back to normal, Hermione."

Dan and Emma shared a worried glance; how was this normal? But their shocks weren't over yet. Harry wasn't done. "Hermione, being with you is plenty of rest. You're presence keeps me calm. How was I supposed to sit there when half of me had left? And why did you leave?"

_God I love him,_ Hermione thought to herself. She just wished he hadn't had to mature so fast. She wrapped her arms around his neck so she didn't have to think about the fact that his back was basically a giant burn. "I'm sorry, Harry," she began..

"No!" He interrupted. She pulled back from him, startled for a second. "Don't you dare be sorry! Me being sorry is why there are belt marks on my back, cuts on my arms, and cuts on my legs."

Hermione decided to ignore the fact that there were cuts on his legs for now, and just continue where she left off. "Harry, you were lying on the ground, barely aware of reality. All I could think of was that you were going insane, just like Neville's parents, and I-I c-couldn't bear the thought, and-" Hermione was very surprised to feel Harry's lips on hers. She would never get tired of it.

After a minute, Harry pulled back and said, "You were saying?"

"Wow." Hermione said. "I don't remember."

"I believe it was something along the lines of me forgetting something for a moment meant I was going insane," Harry said helpfully, smirking at her dazed expression.

"Oh, yeah," she said. Then she realized what he had done, and protested, "Hey!"

"So you've changed your opinion then?" Harry asked, still smirking.

"Yes, I have," she retorted.

"That's a pity," he said. "I was hoping it meant you were crazy about me."

Hermione blushed, and her parents, the ones the couple had forgotten about, just laughed at the scene.

"Now, if everyone is in a better mood," Harry began, "I would like to know what happened."

"So would we," Mr. Granger said, looking at Hermione.

"Right, well…" and with that Hermione launched into the tale.

At the end, which was the part where Harry woke up, Mr. Granger leaned back and said, "Wow, I guess I don't have to beat the whale's son. My daughter already did."

Hermione blushed, but Harry's face was a bit darker. "Maybe, but I think he deserves more." Everyone agreed, thinking he was referring to the belt he'd been beaten with. Apparently, no one was following his train of thought. "How dare he try to hit Hermione!" He exclaimed venomously.

"What about what he did to you?" Hermione exclaimed in protest.

"I don't care about that!" Harry said dismissively. "I _do_ care about you."

Hermione just gave an exasperated sigh. "On the topic of what he did to you," Hermione began heatedly, "why didn't you cry out sooner? I could have stopped him earlier!"

"I told you, I don't care about that," Harry reiterated, "but you needed your sleep."

The Grangers just looked at him. They adults had heard from Hermione how selfless he was, but this was extreme. And Hermione knew there was something he wasn't saying. However, it still wasn't even noon, and everyone was already exhausted.

Emma said she was making lunch, and Dan was setting the table. Hermione said she was picking up afterwards. Harry was told to sit there and pretend to be happy about being served. He wasn't very good at pretending.

The rest of the day was spent playing cards, and just being together. No one was upset to not see the Dursleys, even if they were curious.

Hermione was just upset that she hadn't had an opportunity to talk to Harry, yet. _Tomorrow_, she swore to herself.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Memory lane

**A/n. Hello all readers and reviewers. I wanted to thank you all for favorites and following and the reviews I've got. I hope I can make you all proud and that you all will have as much fun reading this as I had when I read this.**

_Hermione was just upset that she hadn't had an opportunity to talk to Harry yet. _Tomorrow_, she swore to herself._

Hermione opened her eyes, to the sunlight, thankful she had woken up normally today. She had no idea what she would have done if his screams had woken her again. She was fairly certain that the cause would not survive though.

Thinking that Harry was still asleep, and wanting to surprise him, Hermione walked quietly up the stairs, and opened his bedroom door.

She never would have imagined at what she would see. "Harry James Potter," she said forced calmly, trying her best not to cry . "Why the bloody hell are you holding that piece of glass?"

Harry, sitting on his bed, looked exactly like a little kid with their hand in the cookie jar.

And just like a little kid with their hand in their cookie jar, he wanted to deny that he was doing anything. Or hide at the least.

But this was Hermione, she would get the truth out of him anyway, so he had to tell her the truth. With a sigh, he rolled up his sleeves.

Hermione gasped. Each arm had at least a dozen new cuts.

She took a step inside, and closed the door.

It was time for a talk.

"Okay, Harry," Hermione said as she joined him sitting on the bed, "start at the beginning."

And so he did. He told her about the broom cupboard. He told her about learning to cook and clean at the age of four. He told her that, whenever he cut or burnt himself, he was locked in his cupboard without that meal or any other one. It was the same if the food didn't taste good enough, or the rooms weren't clean enough. At the age of six, they started to make him weed the garden, shovel the driveway, or rake the lawn. Depending on the season. Just before they entered grade school, Dudley realized that if he did something mean to Harry, he was rewarded. And if he complained about Harry, like looking at him funny or something else ridiculous, Harry was locked in the cupboard for the day or immediately after school, while Dudley was 'compensated' for 'putting up with the little freak'. It wasn't long before Dudley came up with Harry Hunting. It wasn't difficult to learn; all you had to do was catch Harry and beat the shit out of him. If his grades were better than Dudley's, he was paddled and locked in the cupboard. Christmas Day, he cooked breakfast, was given a pair of socks, shoved in his cupboard, and was told, 'Happy Christmas, Freak'.

Then, when Harry was ten, there was the accidental magic. Like when Aunt Petunia would cut his hair short, except for the bangs, to hide 'that hideous scar'. When the Dursleys saw it had all grown back, he was paddled, then send to school without any lunch, and locked in his cupboard when he got home. When Aunt Petunia tried to get Harry into some really hideous clothing that once belonged to Dudley, it shrank until it wouldn't fit him anymore. Again, there was the paddle, no food, and the cupboard. One time, when he was running from Dudley's gang, he went to jump behind some trash barrels, and ended up on the roof. He was older now, so his uncle introduced him to the belt. Then the incident at the petting zoo with the boa constrictor. The look on Dudley's fat face was worth the beating he took from his uncle's belt. Not even the fact that he wasn't allowed to eat for week had dimmed his joy of that incident.

"After that," Harry said, "were all of my summer vacations. You already know about those."

Long before midway his story, Hermione had crawled onto Harry's lap so she could hug him while he told his story.

Not really because he needed the comfort, but because _she_ did.

Several times, he asked if she wanted him to stop, because she was crying so badly. But she _insisted_ he go on.

She thought that she could finally understand him. The Dursleys had spent every second they could drilling into Harry that he was nothing, a nobody. Not worth the time of day and just something dirty on the bottom of their shoes. Every time something had gone wrong, he had taken the blame. He was raised being told that he was just a burden, the cause of all of their misfortunes.

And he had always believed them.

For the first time in her life, Hermione found herself trying to resist using the Unforgivables. Never had it been this hard.

Right now, she hated the Dursleys even more than Voldemort. In fact, she possibly would have trouble refusing an invitation to be a Death Eater if they offered that she could torture the Dursleys to her heart's content. It was a dark side to herself she wasn't ready to face yet.

So she turned back to Harry's problem.

"Harry," she said, "I want you to listen to me closely. And I want you to believe what I say. Okay? And because I want you to see how much I mean what I'm saying, it would help if you would look me in the eye." She waited until he looked her in the eye.

"Harry, not everything is your fault. We followed you to the Ministry. You did not force us to come. You did not force Sirius to come. You did not force Dolohov to cast that spell at me."

His eyes were watering at this time, and he tried to look away. But Hermione brought his eyes back to hers. She willed him to believe what she was saying.

And suddenly she wasn't in her own head anymore.

She was in Harry's.

'_H__arry?'_ She thought. She felt surprise. And then: '_Hermione?'_

That was definitely Harry's voice. Interesting. She was in Harry's mind, but nothing she had read about legillimency seemed like anything of this.

'_Do you trust me, Harry?'_ She asked with her mind. She got the reply, '_Absolutely'_, without any sign of hesitation or reservation. '_Would you mind if I went through your memories?'_ She asked.

She immediately felt him tense up, and a picture of Snape entered her mind. Finally, she heard the reply she had hoped for; '_No, I wouldn't mind.'_

She concentrated on bringing up the first memory he ever had, and then just lived his life from there. She knew she could have ended it whenever she wanted, but she wanted to see their time together through his eyes. And the part she feared the most; the night at the Ministry.

She experienced everything they had talked about off his past and more.

Although he seemed like a rock on the outside during the story, that was nowhere near the case on the inside. She felt bad, now, for commenting that boys have the emotional range of a teaspoon. Harry clearly didn't. Even knowing what he felt now, she couldn't believe it. How could one person feel pain, trust, love, regret, guilt, jealousy, healing, and-most commonly-insignificance all at once?

'_Well, you can't know everything.'_ Harry thought, teasing her.

Hermione knew he wasn't really feeling playful, he just had to try and lighten the mood. '_How much did you shield me from all off it, Harry?' _She wondered.

'_Unfortunately, nothing anymore,'_ he thought to her dejectedly, '_I wanted to, but I knew you would have been disappointed with me.'_

And she could feel exactly how he would have taken that. The pain from just the _thought_ was enough to take her breath away.

She was suddenly back in her own body, looking up into Harry's anxious eyes. "Are you alright, love?" He asked concernedly.

After being in his mind, Hermione knew exactly how much he meant that last word. She smiled up at him, content that he had shared everything with her. "I'm great," she said. She was relieved to see his face lose just a little bit of tension.

"Now how do we get it to switch?" She asked. Harry just laughed, and hugged her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Worth it.

"_Now how do we get it to switch?" She asked. Harry just laughed, and hugged her._

She slapped his arm playfully. "I'm serious Harry! I need you to see that I meant what I said." She paused thoughtfully. "I also think it's only fair that you see my life."

"Fine," Harry sighed. "What were you thinking or feeling when you found yourself in my mind?"

Hermione needed a moment to think back. After all, she _had_ just lived more than fourteen years in just a few hours.

"I was trying to will you to see my point of view," she said.

Harry gave her an odd look, saying, "Isn't that a bit backwards?"

Hermione just smirked back, and said, "Ironic, isn't it?"

Harry just shook his head at her, smiling a bit. But after a moment it vanished, and he frowned.

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed and said, "This isn't going to work."

"Why not?" She asked, puzzled.

"Well, for one thing, I don't really want you see my side; it's painful. For another, you've already seen it. It would be like trying to will you into existence, I wouldn't have to try."

Hermione frowned for a moment. "I see your point," she sighed.

For a moment they both just sat there on the bed, holding each other.

Out of the blue, Hermione brightened. "Harry," she said excitedly, "What if it's not _what_ we will, but _that_ we will?"

"Huh?" was Harry intelligent answer.

"Harry, I want you to look into my eyes, and _will _yourself into me." Harry raised his eyebrows playfully at her, and Hermione blushed while she realised how that sounded.

She smacked his arm playfully. "Into my mind, silly!" She winked suggestively "Maybe we'll try the other one later.".

Harry stared blankly at her for a minute, then shook himself. He then gave her a glare. "How do you expect me to _will_ anything when you do that to me?" He demanded. Hermione just giggled.

They both took a moment to compose themselves with a deep breath, then looked each other deeply in the eye. Harry barely did anything, but it was before long he found himself in Hermione's mind.

'_Hermione?'_ He thought, curious.

He felt her surprise. '_Harry?'_

'_I guess it worked,'_ he thought, amused. _'__I wonder why it was so easy this time?'_

_Can we discuss this later please?_ Hermione thought, slightly amused at his curiosity that was usually hers.

As if to emphasize her point, Harry sended thoughts to her with mock shock. '_Hermione wants to delay studying something?'_

'_Yes, she does.'_ Hermione responded with mock aloofness.

'_Alright, Hermione, let's get this show on the road.'_ Harry thought.

'_Let's.'_ Came the agreement.

A swirl of images passed before Harry , and he found himself in a classroom. 'Of course y_ou're first memory would be of school.'_ Harry thought to Hermione with amusement.

Instead of embarrassment, like he expected, Harry heard and felt dejection in her answer. '_Yes, it would'._ Puzzled, he watched this memory closely.

He soon discovered that Hermione was almost as outcast at school as he was. He struggled to control his rage at the students who mocked her. He comforted himself with the fact that she had a good a home life. And she did. But school had been her own personal hell.

He tried to ignore it, but found that he couldn't. He clenched his fists, knowing it wouldn't make a difference if he tried to beat the pompous buffoon who thought he was hilarious while bullying her. Finally, her eleventh birthday came. He fully shared in her joy that she finally knew what set her apart from other students!

The rest of the school year passed as usual, and Harry eagerly awaited Hogwarts. Like Hermione, he had read the books before going. She just had a better memory than he did. He was ashamed to realize that, once he'd met Ron, his study habits had fallen way-side. And because of Ron, he treated Hermione just as badly as the rest of those bully's at her old school had. '_I'm sorry.'_ He whispered to her mentally as his heart broke.

'_Keep watching.' _Hermione told him. He dutifully did as told. He saw the fight with the troll from her perspective, and realized that she thought he was brave. That thought warmed him. Watching himself through her eyes every year, he realized what she meant. She truly meant what she said; no one blamed him, except himself.

He opened his eyes back in his own mind, grabbed Hermione in a tight hug, and wept. He wept for his parents, for Hermione, and most of all, for himself.

Because he now knew he _was_ worth it. After a while he calmed down, and looked down at his great, smart, and beautiful girlfriend, and said simply, "Thank you, Hermione. I may not have said it before, but I appreciate everything you've ever done for me. That last one is second to the one."

"What's it second to?" She wondered aloud.

"Being friends with me," he said simply. "Without that, none of this would have happened. I probably would have died in first year. Thank you, Hermione, for being you." And then he kissed her.


End file.
